One day ahead of their match against the Mongolia National Team at the second round of the Asian qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) held an official training session at the match venue, Saitama Stadium 2002, on Wednesday 9 October. Coach MORIYASU Hajime of the SAMURAI BLUE asked his players for “Intelligent plays and hard work to win the match.”

After starting off the second round of the Asian qualifiers with a 2-0 away victory against Myanmar, the team will welcome Mongolia at home and face Tajikistan in an away match. Ahead of the two matches, coach Moriyasu shared his aspiration, “We will prepare ourselves in the best way possible and strive to win each match.”

With Tajikistan leading the group with their two wins, Japan currently sits in second place with three points. Mongolia has won against Myanmar 1-0 and lost to Tajikistan 0-1, as the team trails Japan in goal difference to be ranked in third place. Japan is currently ranked 31st in the FIFA rankings, while Mongolia is ranked 183rd, and this will be the first encounter between the two sides. Mongolia has brought most of their starting players from their match against Myanmar, including Dulguun AMARAA, who scored the game winner.

Since 2017, the Mongolia National Team is led by coach Michael WEISS, who worked as an assistant coach for Kyoto Sanga in the early 2000s. Ahead of the match, the German coach shared his knowledge about the Japanese squad, “Japan is currently in the midst of a generation change. They have young talents like Nakajima, Doan, and Minamino.” The coach continued by sharing his take of the match, “We will have to play defensively, but we are prepared to play against Japan. We just need to execute our game plan.”

Coach Moriyasu compared Mongolia to Myanmar and stated, “Mongolia will play more physical and with greater intensity.” With the absence of their ace striker, OSAKO Yuya (Werder Bremen), the key will lie on how Japan can break down their opponent. “We must play with multiple ideas to exploit the opponent’s weak points. I need my players to play with intelligence and dedication.”

The final training session conducted at the match venue was opened to the media for the first 15 minutes, where the players were seen going through their warmup routines before working on passing and agility drills. The team reviewed their tactics for the match after the session went behind closed doors.

The SAMURAI BLUE has struggled in a home game against Singapore at the Asian qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup, but the team captain, YOSHIDA Maya (Southampton FC) remained optimistic about the upcoming home game, “We are visualising ourselves to enter the match with a positive vibe and take control of the match with great combinations.” Regarding their opponent, the Japanese defender mentioned, “They will be seeking for their opportunity to counter us, so we must stay alerted at all times.”

After being called-up to the national team for the first time since March, KAMADA Daichi (Eintracht Frankfurt) mentioned that “I am aware of everyone’s characters,” and continued by sharing his take on the match, “We have many talented midfielders on our squad, so I will try to possess the ball upfront to allow our midfielders to get involved in our attacks.”

The match between the SAMURAI BLUE and the Mongolia National Team will kick-off at 19:45 on Thursday 10 October at Saitama Stadium 2002.

Coaches and Players' Comments

MORIYASU Hajime, Coach of SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team)
Similar to the match against Myanmar, we are expecting our opponent to play defensively while they anticipate for their opportunities to counterattack. We must acknowledge their game plan and prepare ourselves to outplay our opponent on the field. In offence, we must come up with many variations of attacks to break down the opponent, while in defence, we must anticipate for the counterattacks to manage our risks. (With the absence of Osako) We will see different players playing on the pitch, which could lead to different shapes of combinations. We hope to make the necessary adjustments on the pitch while we test new options.

GK #23 SCHMIDT Daniel (Sint-Truidense V.V.)
Although we may see our team dominate the ball possession, Mongolia has many strong players who can force turnovers to create opportunities. We must keep our balance and manage our risks while we play the game.

DF #4 HATANAKA Shinnosuke (Yokohama F・Marinos)
If our opponent decides to drop back and play defensively, we must take shots from distance and initiate quick counterattacks. Our key to success will lie on our ability to make quick transitions and possess the ball as long as possible. The opponent will seek to score goals through their limited opportunities, so the defence line must stay alerted to keep them away from scoring goals.

DF #22 YOSHIDA Maya (Southampton FC)
The opponent players may be bigger than us, be we have the advantage in speed. We have many players who can exploit the space behind the opposing defence line, so we will seek for our opportunities to break through the open space. In order to win through the final qualification round, we must utilise the set-pieces effectively, so we will strive to score goals from set-pieces.

MF #7 SHIBASAKI Gaku (Deportivo de La Coruna)
With Japan being one of the top teams in Asia, it is not so difficult to imagine that our opponent will enter the match with great motivation. As much as it’s important to make the necessary adjustments on the pitch, we must also focus on how we enter the match. (With the absence of Osako) It is not logical to ask the team for the same performance without him on the pitch, so we must test out different options and strive to heighten the quality of those options.

MF #13 HASHIMOTO Kento (F.C. Tokyo)
Finding ways to break down opponents with a defensive approach will play a key role at this Asian qualifier, and I have been constantly thinking of ways since our match against Myanmar. I will need to place myself in an optimal position and deliver effective passes upfront, which requires accurate decision makings.

MF #14 ITO Junya (KRC Genk)
Compared to Myanmar, Mongolia has many tall players with greater physical strengths. We expect them to play defensively against us, so we must make a collective approach to create opportunities upfront. The absence of Osako will be a huge hit for the team, but it leaves the door open for other players seeking for that position, so overall, I think it is good for the competition. We should be able to take control of the match if we can score the first goal, so whether or not we score the opening goal will be a huge focal point in this match.

Michael WEISS, Coach of Mongolia National Team
We are honoured to face the best team in Asia. Many of our players are not used to playing at this level, so I hope our players does not get overwhelmed by the atmosphere, as we do not want to suffer a huge loss. We hope to showcase our full potential and demonstrate how far the Mongolia football has developed over the years.

Schedule

SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) Squad, Schedule

2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar and AFC Asian Cup China PR 2023 Preliminary Joint Qualification - Round 2

SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) vs Mongolia National Team
Match Date: Thu. 10 October 2019, 19:35
Match Venue: Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama

Tournament Information

Tajikistan National Team vs SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team)
Match Date: Tue. 15 October 2019, 17:15 (21:15 Japan time)
Match Venue: Republican Central Stadium, Tajikistan

Tournament Information

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